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As published in the Winnipeg Free Press (https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/lance/Peace-compassion-and-love-572406861.html), there is still time to participate in the this year's edition of Peace Days as many of this year's events are being held online or virtually through Zoom in light of COVID-19

CityNews reports from the Canadian Museum of Human rights where over 500 students marched to make world peace a priority.

(Winnipeg, Manitoba. September 8 th, 2019) Inspired by Rotarians and Friends, The Rotary Club of Winnipeg Peace Builder Committee and Rotary 5550 World Peace Partners is celebrating 10 years of waging peace by inspiring, facilitating and nurturing positive peace, goodwill, and understanding with no sign of slowing down.

“As we look to celebrate our 10th annual event, we are encouraging individuals, communities, organizations, institutions and businesses to ‘Be a piece of Peace’. The Rotary Club of Winnipeg Peace Builder Committee is an inspirer and facilitator of a grassroots movement that is working together for positive peace locally, nationally and internationally. We are committed to mobilizing support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a reduction in the human causes of climate change and nuclear disarmament to name a few”, says David Newman, Q.C. and Gary Senft Co-Chairs of the Peace Builder Committee.

The Peace Days Festival and Peace Days 365 is a space that’s been created to promote and inspire understanding, goodwill and compassion locally, nationally and internationally. It exists for all persons who believe in a culture of peace and compassion and to encourage conversations that will inspire action, commitment and the promotion of positive peace and peace literacy. Peace Days was inspired by Rotary World Peace Partners in 2010 and grew out of a desire to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace (September 21st annually).

"It is impressive to witness how Peace Days has helped many people to have a better understanding of compassionate action, the importance of promoting human dignity, justice, and peace through planned events and activities in collaboration with its community partners. It is truly inspiring to see the growth of Peace Days over the last ten years, and the commitment of so many persons to the cause of service above self and the greater good." Julie Turenne-Maynard, Peace Days Venue Participant

"C’est impressionnant de voir comment les Journées de la paix incitent les gens à être plus compatissants, à promouvoir la dignité humaine, la justice et la paix. L’organisation d'événements et d'activités planifiés en collaboration avec des partenaires communautaires depuis dix ans démontre l’engagement de tant de personnes à la cause du service d’abord et le bien commun." Julie Turenne-Maynard, Peace Days Venue Participant

As in years past, the Peace Days Festival has brought together a number of committed Venue Participants who are doing their part to raise awareness and making a commitment to act all in the name of promoting positive peace. This year’s Peace Days Festival will run from September 10th to 21st at various venues throughout the city. People are encouraged to visit the Festival’s calendar (https://www.peacedays.ca/calendar.php) regularly for updates and new events now through to September 21st and beyond.

This year’s Peace Days Festival will start with a multi-faith Meditation for Peace event that will guide participants through a moment of meditation and unity dedicated to the promotion of peace and the creation of a non-violent society hosted by Bishop emeritus Noel Delaquis:

“L'événement de Méditation pour la Paix sera accueilli par l'Archidiocèse de Saint-Boniface pour une troisième année consécutive le 10 septembre. Cet événement contemplatif est organisé par le Groupe de méditation de la Cathédrale de St-Boniface en collaboration avec le Conseil multiconfessionnel du Manitoba. Toutes les confessions religieuses participantes se rassemblent en tant que croyants dans une rencontre d'unité, de paix et de non-violence visant à contrer le visage de la haine”, Rene Fontaine, Peace Days Festival Venue Participant

"The Meditation For Peace event will be hosted by the St. Boniface Archdiocese for its third consecutive year on September 10. It is organized by the St. Boniface Cathedral Meditation Group in collaboration with the Manitoba Multifaith Council. All faith traditions gather together in this contemplative event to present, as people of faith, a united, peaceful and non-violent response to the face of hate”, Rene Fontaine, Peace Days Festival Venue Participant

It is through our actions and our commitments to peace that work being done is done in relationship, friendship and partnership with all nations. The work to promote and inspire positive peace has to be done from a place of respect, trust, genuineness and truth. Truths that are hard to share, hard to hear and maybe even hard to understand. The Rotary Club of Winnipeg’s Peace Builder Committee has been working in relationship, friendship and is honoured to work in partnership with the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, its staff and its Executive Director, Diane Redsky:

“The Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre is a proud partner and strong supporter of Peace Days. We recognize and value these are vital bridge building opportunities between many nations of people and how this works towards what we all want to achieve: PEACE. As an Indigenous-led organization and community we are committed to truth and reconciliation and Peace Days events are unique opportunities to restore the sacred relationship between the First Peoples of Canada and all others. For example our Peace Day events, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Solstice Ceremony on September 21, December 21, March 21 and June 21 is one of these important bridge building opportunities to bring people of all nations together to learn from Indigenous peoples on how we are guided by the teachings of each season and our connection and relationship with all living things and also, to celebrate our shared values with all nations through food and coming to together to learn from one another. Thank you Peace Days for these meaningful opportunities to achieve PEACE!”

Events throughout the city will continue to create the momentum needed to ensure everyone can experience peace regardless of who they are and where they come from. Through the Winnipeg Connector Partnership and the engagement of newcomers in peace, the Peace Days Festival and Peace Days 365 will help us achieve an equitable, accepting and just society, nation and world. The Peace Days Festival is about:

“Bringing people from all nations together to create a culture of Peace and building self-confidence for equal opportunity, justice and PEACE. We want to contribute locally and internationally for a better world,” Rany Jeyaratnam, Program Coordinator, Winnipeg Connector Partnership

The committee encourages people to get involved and become an inspirer and facilitator of positive peace by:

1. Becoming a Venue Participant (see EVENTS tab on website for more information: www.peacedays.ca)

2. Promoting and attending Peace Days events

3. Being a piece of Peace in everyday life with a smile, an act of kindness, a helping hand, being an upstander not a bystander to injustice, helping someone in need, expressing love-not anger or hate.

4. Considering a donation to ensure this grassroots movement continues to inspire and facilitate for years to come

The Rotary Club of Winnipeg Peace Builder Committee wishes to thank all of its Venue Participants currently and from years past. The Peace Days Festival would not be possible without your commitment and dedication to the cause. We also wish to recognize The Winnipeg Foundation for its ongoing support as well at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights who have been a major contributor in the promotion of positive peace, goodwill and understanding. Media Inquiries can be directed to: Rhonda Taylor, Secretariat Director director@peacedays.ca The Rotary of Club of Winnipeg Peace Builder Committee www.peacedays.ca -

The UN will be celebrating the United Nations 70th Anniversary and on June 13th, 2016,  on the occasion of the 100 Day Countdown to the 2016 UN International Day of Peace, are pleased to announce the premiere of the special YouTube documentary  "The UN at 70 and Beyond".

The documentary will be streamed on The Peace Channel www.peacechannel.com beginning at 11:00 AM  (CST).

You can read the full press release here

Below is a preview of the documentary

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. It is an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.

It began in 1981 with United Nations Resolution 36/67 establishing the International Day of Peace (IDP) which stated in part, “…to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations and its Member States, as well as the whole of mankind, to promoting the ideals of peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways.”

Since its inception, Peace Day has marked our personal and planetary progress toward peace. It has grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day. Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate.

Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as:

• light a candle at noon
• sit in silent meditation
• do a good deed for someone you do not know
• pick up one or two extra items at the grocery store and drop off at your local food bank
• clean out your closet and donate winter clothing
• talk about peace with a friend, co-worker or neighbor
• rake leaves, pull weeds or plant something  at your neighborhood school

Or it can involve getting your co-workers, community or government engaged in a large event. The impact if millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together for one day of peace, is immense, and does make a difference.

International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. At this moment there are many active national and international conflicts on our plant, and in the case of Syria, we are posed to expand war any day now. Peace Day should be Day of Ceasefire across the planet, and that may not happen this year unless we find our voice on this issue right away.

Peace Day is also an opportunity to make peace in our own relationships.

According to the Peace One Day 2012 report, across the world approximately 280 million people in 198 countries were aware of Peace Day 2012 – 4% of the world’s population. The report further estimates that approximately 2% of those people (5.6 million) behaved more peacefully as a result. We need to help Peace One Day double that number in 2013.

A Different Kind of Trick-or-Treating

On Halloween, Derrek Bentley encourages high school students to trick-or-treat for clothing, non-perishable food items, or monetary donations instead of candy. This is one part of “A Homeless Night,” a project Bentley has organized for the past six years.

The experiential project is designed to raise high school students’ awareness and understanding of homelessness in Winnipeg. Students learn about the complexities of homelessness, spend one night sleeping outside in a cardboard shelter, and volunteer at organizations that serve those who are homeless.

Bentley, who graduated with an International Development Studies (IDS) degree this year, is passionate about educating youth and encouraging them to challenge misconceptions about homelessness.

“There’s a lot of value in influencing and forming people while they’re young. The older you get, the harder it is to change things you’ve believed all your life,” he says.

Educating about development and peace topics has been a theme throughout Bentley’s work and studies. He completed his practicum with Peace Days Manitoba, an organization whose mission is to “promote and advance peace and compassion as well as celebrate the harmony and cultural diversity of the citizens of Manitoba.”

Bentley worked in communications, maintaining the organization’s website and social media presence and helped organize the kickoff events for the ten-day festival.

The goal of Peace Days is to “make people more aware of the importance of peace. If we’re more aware of it, perhaps we can work more strongly together to make a difference,” he says.

Working together to effect change is a part of participatory development, a concept that resonated with Bentley during his IDS degree.

He describes participatory development as “talking to the people you’re targeting to see what they would like to see so they’re more engaged and drive the whole process.” It involves asking questions such as ‘What do the people actually want?’ and ‘What would actually work to accomplish this?’

Bentley explains that this approach is useful for international, large-scale, development projects but that it can also transfer to smaller-scale, local projects. He’s passionate about working to address the needs he sees here in Canada.

“I see a lot of value in working at Canadian issues first. It’s very important to help internationally, but you should never forget about your own backyard,” he says. “You need to understand your own backyard before you try to make a difference internationally.”

As the Supervisor for Visitor Services at the Canadian Human Rights Museum, Bentley combines his interests in education and making a difference locally. He supervises a team of hosts who ensure that visitors have the best museum experience possible.

Bentley encourages those interested in studying IDS to “give it a try.” While studying Human Rights and Global Studies, he took a first year IDS course and enjoyed it so much he decided to pursue a double major. He views the two fields as complimentary, describing development as fulfilling some of the practical implications of human rights.

“[IDS] makes you want to make a difference when you find out that all the challenges in the world could be changed if the proper resources and time were spent on changing them,” he says.

Ellen Paulley is the Writer and Social Media Coordinator for Menno Simons College

Around the world, church bells, school bells, and hand-bells rang for peace on September 21, 2015.

Locally, in addition to churches and schools, The Sanctuary “Rang the Crystal Bowls for Peace” at the same time in the ruins of the Trappist Monastery just outside of St Norbert. This was an opportunity to see/hear crystal bowls (a product of the modern computer industry), placed in the beauty of the old stone ruinsin a tribute to world peace.

Two Winnipeg organizations, celebrated Peace Days with compassionate action. United Way Winnipeg and Winnipeg Harvest encouraged participation in Compassion Games, with the hope that Winnipeggers strive to “out-give” each other, and participants from around the world, in this 11-day festival. Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest provides a network through which members of a community can actively participate in and lead societal change.

United Way Winnipeg supports the efforts of Doorways by collecting items for Home Starter Kits. Winnipeggers help support individuals as they transition into their first homes by providing household items such as laundry detergent, pots & pans, cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils, toasters, etc. For details, please contact Hillary Gair at United Way at 204-924-4273 or hgair@unitedwaywinnipeg.mb.ca.

Winnipeg Harvest invites you to consider their Coins of Compassion challenge. According to Winnipeg Harvest, while on welfare, a single person will receive $3.96 per day for food. To show solidarity with people on welfare, Winnipeggers are challenged to only spend $3.96 per day for food – even for one day. Participants are encouraged to calculate what they would normally have spent on food and donate the difference to Winnipeg Harvest. For details, email Janelle Duerksen at Janelle.duerksen@winnipegharvest.org.

Peace Days invites you to play the Compassion Games in as many different ways as you can. Perform random acts of kindness, donate time, get involved in a service project, volunteer, or donate money. It’s as easy as buying someone’s cup of coffee or giving up some of your time to help others. To find out more about Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest, or to register your team, visit www.compassiongames.org and play your part to make Winnipeg a better place to live. Winnipeg has a city team known as “Compassionate Winnipeg.”

For more information on Compassion Games, contact games@peacedays.ca

Peace Days is fully supportive of access to water as a basic human right and we support and encourage exploration of a peaceful resolution to further the goal that all human beings in Canada have the right to clean drinking water. Peace Days encourages resolutions to issues that facilitate Shoal Lake 40 First Nation access to clean drinking water.

Dr. Jane Goodall will  The Axworthy Lecturer Series on Social Justice and the Public Good. Her lecture on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 7 pm will be free and open to the public.

Renowned primatologist, Dr. Jane Goodall’s work at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve became the foundation of contemporary primatological research, effectively redefining the relationship between humans and animals. In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), which supports programs for research, education, community development, and conservation.

Dr. Goodall is a passionate spokesperson for animals and the environment. In 2002, she was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace by Kofi Annan. Her many honors include the Medal of Tanzania, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, Japan’s prestigious Kyoto Prize, the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence, the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life and Science, and Spain’s coveted Prince of Asturias Award. In February 2004, she was awarded England’s highest honor, Dame of the British Empire.

On September 11, 2015, she will also address the UWinnipeg community in conjunction with the fall institute, “Humanity, Animality, Secularity.” The Institute will be a special 3-credit hour course on ecology in a secular world.

“There is an urgent need to work for peace…not only among people in different parts of the world, but also to strive for a more harmonious relationship with the natural world. On the International Day of Peace this year, I urge you to join our celebrations and to join us in making resolutions for each of us to do our part in working towards environmental sustainability.”…Cement the partnerships you have with other organizations, and create new ones. We cannot achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals unless we work together to make this a better world for people, other animals and the environment.” 

- Dr. Jane Goodall

Many Voices, One World is celebrating the creation of The Pathway to Peace Banner Project as part of the International Storytelling Festival at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The Celebration will take place Friday May 8^th 2015, at 10:30 –11:30 a.m. in Buhler Hall at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, 85 Israel Asper Way.

With the generous support from The Winnipeg Foundation, over 400 students have offered their youthful insight and creativity, and above all their hope for a peaceful future, in the creation of 18 large fabric story banners. 

Groups of children from 8 schools created 18 original stories under the guidance of storyteller Jamie Oliviero.  Each child illustrated a segment of their story, which when combined with their message of hope, complete the banner.

The Pathway to Peace is the most recent segment of the Peace Banner Project, an ongoing initiative created by the artist collective, Many Voices, One World.  Our projects are based on the belief that when we share our stories, our appreciation and respect for one another deepens. 

No matter where our children live or what their circumstances may be, they speak in one voice...and we are learning to listen. 

When the Canadian Museum for Human Rights opened in Winnipeg this past September, it marked the fulfillment of a dream first announced by Canadian philanthropist Israel Asper in April 2003. It also held special meaning for Rotarians in District 5550 (Manitoba; parts of Ontario and Saskatchewan), who launched an ambitious initiative called World Peace Partners in the fall of that year, shortly after Asper’s death at age 71. Longtime Winnipeg Rotarian David Newman, co-founder and co-chair of World Peace Partners, spoke about the museum and his district’s peace efforts.

THE ROTARIAN: Tell us about the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

NEWMAN: It is not a traditional museum; it’s an interactive learning center designed to encourage asking questions, testing out views, and seeking understanding. Above all, it is a place that will inspire you to make a commitment to contribute, as an individual, to a more peaceful world, where people understand one another better and get along better.

If we can’t contribute to a better world here in Canada – a country that has been privileged with prosperity and freedom and constitutional democracy with a charter of rights – what hope do we have in countries with oppression and poverty and no rule of law? Countries that are in dire situations are simply parts of a whole human family that happen to be hurting – and we’ve all had our turn. We Rotarians have hope that, in the right kind of environment, work can be done.

TR: What programs has World Peace Partners developed in partnership with the museum?

NEWMAN: Adventures in Global Citizenship, which just completed its fourth year, is an 11-day academic program for post-secondary students, with scholarships funded by Rotarians. Another program, Adventures in Human Rights, is a seven-day course for high school students focusing on indigenous rights, women’s rights, and democratic rights. The curriculum is designed by the museum and former Rotary Peace Fellows Noëlle DePape and Abdi Ahmed.

TR: World Peace Partners started Peace Days five years ago as a small outdoor gathering and concert that attracted 50 people. It has evolved into a 10-day festival. How did that happen?

NEWMAN: In Manitoba, in our district, Rotary is the go-to organization to unify diverse religious and cultural groups. Rotary can bring together organizations that subscribe to our broad purpose: promoting understanding, goodwill, peace, and compassionate action. What Rotarians and World Peace Partners do best is to facilitate, inspire, and connect. We do not want to control or own anything. We bring in those who can deliver education, music, etc. If they subscribe to our purpose and The Four-Way Test, that’s all they need to be part of our Peace Days events. – Paul Engleman

LINK TO THE ARTICLE: http://therotarianmagazine.com/the-talent-around-the-table-david-newman/ 

The article can be found in its entierty, here: http://www.firstnationsvoice.com/index.php?action=archives&year=2014&month=09&page=8 

In a month that promises to bring human rights, peace and compassion to the forefront of public awareness in Winnipeg, the fifth annual Peace Days (peacedays.ca) takes place September 11-21 at various locations throughout the city.

Peace Days brings together a variety of events that celebrate peace and compassion, beginning with the Compassion Games on Thursday, September 11 and ending with A Walk for Peace and Community on Sunday, September 21.

A public launch of Peace Days will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 11 at the festival stage at the Forks. ... The full media release can be read here.

Brian Lorraine wrote an article about the upcoming events for Peace days and his article can be read here

Here is an excerpt:

Peace Days is a new Winnipeg event spanning the week from the United Nations’ designated International Day of Democracy on Sunday September 15, to the International Day of Peace on Saturday, September 21.

An annual concert event celebrating the International Day of Peace has been held in the city the last few years, and organizers have been inspired to build on the momentum from that with a week-long collection of events aimed at a wider audience.

“There could be really heightened awareness and greater grass-roots involvement if this became a week-long event,” says Judy Slivinski, Director of Development and Marketing at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, who is acting as a spokesperson for Peace Days.

Promoting events that will be occuring during the week of September 15-21, Virgin Radio dedicated a page on their website to promote the events that are happening this year.

http://winnipeg.virginradio.ca/events/Details.aspx?ID=383902

Key Events are:

• On Monday, September 16, see a FREE screening of the film 'I Am' at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
• See Kim Phuc - Poster Child of the Vietnam War speak at St. Boniface Cathedral on Friday, September 20 at 7:00 pm
• Join us at the Concert for Peace hosted by Ace Burpee on Saturday, September 21 at the Burton Cummings Theatre.  The show is at 7:00 pm and features performances from Sierra Noble, Flo, Free Ride, Gentil Mis, and The Treble!

Metro News posted an article about the extend peace days has expanded this year.  

Harmony and human rights are central themes for a new weeklong festival called Peace Days, which was officially launched on Thursday with a ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue at The Forks.

David Newman, Peace Days co-chair, said events begin on Sunday, Sept. 15, which is the International Day of Democracy, and the fest ends with the Concert for Peace on Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace.

“This year a group of individuals … created a diversified program of events to appeal to people of all ages, throughout the city of Winnipeg,” said Newman...

Read the entire article here:

http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/793617/winnipegs-peace-day-celebration-expands-from-one-day-to-week-of-activities/

On the Winnipeg Free Press website, Simon Fuller writes an article about one of Peace Days' upcoming events.  Kim Phuc will be the featured guest on September 20th at 7PM at the St Boniface Cathedral.

An exerpt from the article:

An iconic figure from the Vietnam War will be among the featured guests at an upcoming city event to celebrate worldwide peace.

As a poster child for the Vietnam War, Kim Phuc Phan Thi was captured in June 1972 in a legendary photograph by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Huynh Cong Ut — known as Nick Ut professionally — after her village came under attack by South Vietnamese planes, which mistakenly dropped napalm. While running for safety with other children, she was severely burned.

Darcia Senft and a delegation of Winnipeg headed down to Louisville, Kentucky in May 2013 and wrote an article about the trip.

"In May, an opportunity presented itself to me and my husband. Did we want to join a Winnipeg contingent that was going to Louisville, Kentucky to take part in some inter-faith activities and, significantly, to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama?

We learned that some Winnipeggers were interested in following Louisville’s lead and wanted to learn how to make Winnipeg a ‘compassionate city’. Louisville signed onto the Charter for Compassion in 2010 and has since been recognized as one of the most compassionate cities in the world..."

Read the whole article on the Community News Commons here

Cheryl Cohan wrote about having Winnipeg adopt the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Here is a taste of the article and the article can be read on the Community New Commons site here.

"The Dalai Lama spoke about compassion recently to a large crowd at Louisville’s 22,000 seat arena.

I recently had the wonderful experience of attending the Festival of Faiths, an interfaith gathering in Louisville, Kentucky, a city comparable in size to Winnipeg; a city officially declared a Compassionate City, and one that is committed to the “Charter for Compassion“, interfaith dialogue and open hearted charity.

Religious leaders of many faiths, including the Dalai Lama, came to share love and wisdom, inspiring teachings and compassion. Thousands of citizens from all over the world came to be in communion with others who shared how to take action and make compassion a part of organizations, businesses, schools – even cities.

The work I do is compassion informed. I’m a therapist, educator, and artist, and the foundation of my practice and life is the Golden Rule – the one all faiths have at their core — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The Winnipeg Free Press published an article by Brenda Suderman titled "Many faiths, one kind city"

"When someone pauses to hold a door open for her, Winnipegger Sandy Hyman sees it as a small act of compassion.

"Someone is being thoughtful and I benefit," says the retired social worker and longtime member of the Interfaith Round Table.

"It doesn't happen all the time, because people are in a hurry."

Hyman and the approximately two dozen other members of the Round Table hope small and large acts of kindness on a community-wide level can lead to this city becoming a more compassionate place.

They're working on getting Winnipeg signed on to the Charter for Compassion and officially recognized as a compassionate city.

Launched in 2009, the Charter of Compassion (www.charterforcompassion.org) is based on the golden rule of treating others as we would like to be treated.

To become a compassionate city, the local government signs the charter, issues a public proclamation and submits a one-year action plan..."

Read the article in its entirety here on the Winnipeg Free Press Website.